Daily Madden: The ‘Conservative’ Officiating In The Super Bowl

NEW ORLEANS, LA - FEBRUARY 03: Cary Williams #29 of the Baltimore Ravens reacts in front of head linesman Steve Stelljes #22 and Bruce Miller #49 of the San Francisco 49ers following personal foul calls in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Cary Williams #29 of the Baltimore Ravens reacts in front of head linesman Steve Stelljes #22 and Bruce Miller #49 of the San Francisco 49ers following personal foul calls in the second quarter during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – There were only seven penalties called in the Super Bowl Sunday, despite other obvious infractions. “Did someone see (a penalty) and not call it, or did the official not see it,” Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. “I don’t know if I’d say the officiating was bad or not. I would say it was very, very, very conservative. And I think that they would rather err on the side of not calling something, and I think that was the way that Super Bowl was officiated.”

Just before the final play of the game, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was overheard telling a teammate to come off the sideline and tackle a 49ers punt returner Ted Ginn Jr. if he was running for a touchdown. “Someone probably would have done it,” Madden said, though it’s likely officials would have called it a touchdown. “If you were a coach and you heard players talk like that you would worry that someone would do it prematurely.”

Madden said he was chili-dipping again Thursday at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, but not with a golf club. “Down there at the maintenance yard, you know where all the maintenance guys hang out, they cook there. And they make this chili that’s great. And so if we did damage on anything, it was on the chili at the maintenance yard. And I can’t wait to go back today.”

Daily Madden

Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)